Boy arrested after making threats with BB gun

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Boy arrested after making threats with BB gun

Saturday, October 13, 2012

A 13-year-old Cashmere boy was arrested Friday afternoon after he displayed a gun and made threats to kill another boy.

Chelan County Sheriff’s Corp. Jason Reinfeld said the suspect went to a home in the 100 block of Paton Street where another 13-year-old boy lived and displayed what appeared to be a gun.

“It looked like a real semiautomatic handgun,” Reinfeld said, adding that it turned out to be a BB gun.

The suspect made threats to kill the boy and flashed gang symbols, he added.

The boy was arrested on suspicion of felony harassment and making threats to kill.

— Michelle McNiel, World staff

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» 13 comments on this story

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karilg 7 months, 1 week ago

And why does he have access to a gun even if it is "just a BB gun". At our house ALL guns are locked up and the only way a kid(even our 15 yr old) is allowed to get into the safe is if my hubby is with him.

11Bravo 7 months, 1 week ago

I had a BB gun when I was about 10. I had a .22 and a .410 shotgun when I was 13. I never threatened to kill anyone with them. I took a hunter safety course and had a hunting license when I was 14. Please don't make this about the BB gun. It is about bad behavior, and poor judgement. It is not the parents fault, it was the boy's bad decision that has him in trouble.

karilg 7 months, 1 week ago

It is an issue about all of the above. He should not have had access to a bb gun in the first place in my opinion and second he is obviously not responsible enough to have access so the parents should not allow it. I realize different families have different rules and my hubby grew up in Montana in a house where the guns were not locked up ever. Times are different and kids do make mistakes and can make very bad choices. We have taken the precaution to not allow our son all access even though he is one of the most responsible and rule following kids ever. Almost to a fault. He hunts(since he was 10), target shoots both guns and bow/arrow, has his very own hunting rifle, had the 2nd highest score in his hunters safety class and I trust him to handle a gun with the utmost respect. My husband has taught him well. That said, he or friend that is over, could very well make a bad choice simply because he is a kid and the consequences could be deadly, therefor we lock up ALL guns, unless they are out with their dad. Anyway, my point is if you are going to allow unsupervised access to a minor(which I don't think they should) it is a responsibility that should be earned and this boy has definitely not earned it.

Rebelrouser 7 months, 1 week ago

Dennis, There is a good chance both parents were working as that is the norm now days. Takes both parents working to make ends meet, but that does not excuse his access to guns. The fact he flashed a gang sign, good odds he is involved with a gang or he is at least a wanna be.

JimboBear 7 months, 1 week ago

No need to make excuses for his behavior by defending the parents or questioning his access to a BB or pellet gun. With or without parental guidance, the kid screwed up and did so in fine form. He thinks he's a bad actor and has set out to prove it. Never mind the fact that he is so immature as to think he was going to get away with it and actually prove how tough he was by such a foolish action. Someone better come down hard on him right now on this one and any other stupid moves that he's made or you will soon see him in an institution where illegal behaviors are punished rather than chastised. If he's not a gang banger yet he soon will be unless he is brought down several notches and learns that the crap he sees in the TV and movies and all those video games are make believe and not to be compared to real life.

Rebelrouser 7 months, 1 week ago

Dennis, I agree with you. I was not making excuses for the kid or parents. How ever it is the kid must have free rein to do what ever he wants.

Suz 7 months, 1 week ago

Someone said "Let's not make it about the BB gun." But this was not the BB gun of past decades. It was made to look like a semiautomatic handgun. Where is the ethical business person? Why would someone sell such a thing that would appeal to children and teens except to profit at the expense of the young and immature.

davebugg 7 months ago

How does the "look" of the BB gun alter its function? FYI, the BB guns "of past decades" also included models that looked like real center-fire handguns and rifles. I had a couple of 'em: one that looked like a .45 automatic handgun and one that looked like an M-16. I was 10 years old. There were also lots of cap guns which also closely replicated center-fire guns. Mattel was one such toy maker.

So, no, it isn't about the BB gun, it is about the behavior and choices of the kid. The BB gun did not make the kid do anything that the kid did not want to do. If it wasn't the BB gun, the kid would have used a knife or a bat as a weapon to intimidate the victim.

Krempel 7 months ago

The thing that should be concerning here is that the boy was flashing gang slogans after he told the other boy he was going to kill him, if the PARENTS do not intervene, this kid is going to be in jail before he is 18 for committing a real murder.